Daily Readings - Wed Aug 30 2017

⁹For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers.¹¹For you know how, like a father with his children,¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.¹³And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

Matthew

Chapter 23

²⁷"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.²⁸So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.²⁹"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,³⁰saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'³¹Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.³²Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter two profound reflections on faith and authenticity. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians highlights Paul's dedication to his ministry, where he and his companions worked tirelessly to share the Gospel without burdening others. They lived with holiness, justice, and blamelessness, and the Thessalonians embraced the Word of God as divine truth. This passage underscores the sincerity and integrity that should characterize our faith journey. The Gospel from Matthew presents a stark contrast as Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy. He likened them to whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled with decay within. Jesus condemned their outward displays of piety that hid inner wickedness and hypocrisy. This serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of prioritizing appearance over true faith. Together, these readings invite us to reflect on the authenticity of our faith. Paul's example shows us the value of living with integrity, while Jesus warns against the emptiness of superficial religiosity. In our daily lives, this means ensuring our actions and beliefs align, avoiding the trap of mere outward shows of faith. The moral lesson here is clear: sincerity and authenticity are essential in our relationship with God. Let us strive to live with the kind of integrity that reflects the true depth of our faith, rather than merely adhering to outward appearances.